Contact us

As seen on

The Guinness Brewery , Dublin

The Guinness Brewery , Dublin

Apr 03, 2013

There were many small breweries in 18th century Ireland. One such was established in Leixlip , County Kildare , by Arthur Guinness in the year 1756. Guinness was the son of a land-agent , and he proved an able businessman , being owner of a successful flourmill also.

His business thrived , and in 1759 he decided to relocate it to Dublin , purchasing the site of a small disused premises at St. James’ Gate. Before long , Guinness’ brewery was outstripping all its rivals in that city , and had even begun to export on a large scale to Britain.

Ale and beer were the principal products , but after 1790 – under the direction of Guinness’s son , also named Arthur – the brewery began to specialise in the drink called ‘porter’. This in time developed into ‘stout’ , the strong dark beer with creamy froth on top , to which so many people of different classes and nationalities have become enamored This is the drink with which the Guinness name is associated all over the world today , although in actual fact that family retain only a tiny share in the company.

The brewery once housed the largest tun in the world , made of stainless steel measuring over 62 feet in length and almost 30 feet in width , and capable of fermenting 7,800 bulk barrels of stout at one brewing. Over a thousand people are employed on the site , the daily output being no less than 4 million pints.

The complex of buildings at the Guinness brewery is vast , and it even contains a museum and cultural centre modelled from the former hop store. The company is also noted for its catching advertisements , with slogans such as ‘Guinness is good for you!’ and ‘My goodness , my Guinness!’.

To organise a visit to the Guinness Brewery on your tours of Ireland contact us now.